As you know, we celebrated our 100th day of school this week.  As students pretended to be 100 and shared about what they picture themselves doing at 100 years old, I was struck by a few things, the first being their sense of humor and love of fun. Students had us...

One of my goals as a teacher, and I think most teachers share it, is for my students to internalize what they have learned in the classroom and use it on their own both in and out of the classroom.     Something that stood out to me as I reflected on...

After seeing our students perform in front of the entire school all week, I heard many adults confess to them, "You were so brave! I couldn't do that."  We had a similar discussion in our classroom as we unpacked the school's mission statement and defined some of the...

At PNA, we believe our students are capable of more than they know.  We have high expectations for students, and we strive to challenge them each and every day, providing scaffolding and support as we push them beyond their comfort zones. "Personal growth is not a...

​Entrepreneur and philanthropist Richard Branson says, "Every success story is a tale of constant adaptation, revision, and change."  I am sure that a combined kindergarten first grade classroom midyear is not what you had envisioned for your child's...

This week, we built on the research we had done during the previous few weeks about the way our families celebrate holidays by studying how different people around the world celebrate holidays.  For the most part, there were many similarities and only small...

At PNA, our mission is to "educate students to be exceptional learners and independent thinkers of vision, courage, and integrity."  Our kindergartners have vision in spades,  As we planned our parent event, I was impressed by their initial vision,...

As I thought about this blog and reflected on our week, I was not sure what I wanted to write about.  Then, as I gushed to my husband about part of our week, I knew I wanted to share it with you, too.  It was Friday afternoon, and we were discussing the parent event...

As we walked around and explored the zoo for the second time, it was evident that a perspective shift had occurred.  Our little ones' approach to exploring the zoo had noticeably changed.  No longer just kindergarteners eager to see animals (which they...

I am so thankful that I am able to teach and learn with your little ones every day.  Teaching is more than a career to me; it is a privilege.  It is a gift to share so many wonderful moments with my students: the wonder in discovering something interesting about our...